9 Syracuse With Carmelo gone, the Orangemen have to show they weren't a one-man gang

By now Hakim Warrick should have become accustomed to second-class treatment. As a senior at Friends Central in Wynnewood, Pa., three years ago he had to wait until New York City blue-chipper Julius Hodge chose N.C. State over Syracuse before the Orangemen would give Warrick a scholarship. And last summer he was one of the final cuts from the U.S. team for the Pan Am Games. "That was a big letdown," says Warrick, a 6'8", 209-pound junior forward. "It took me off guard. I know I played well, but I guess they wanted more bulk. But it was the turning point of my summer. It got me to turn my workouts up a notch."

With the early departure for the NBA of Carmelo Anthony, who was Syracuse's go-to guy and the NCAA tournament MVP, Warrick has the opportunity to become the main man, the first scoring option on the team. "Hakim's going to get a chance to make a real impact this year," says coach Jim Boeheim. Warrick, the team's second-leading scorer last season, doesn't have Anthony's transcendent offensive gifts, but he has a multifaceted game that can confound opponents. He'll circle the key looking for a spot to get off his soft jumper--"I study guys like [Tracy] McGrady and [Kevin] Garnett, the way they move without the ball," he says--or he'll attack the rim and use the leaping ability that produced 80 dunks last season. On defense the long-limbed Warrick has a knack for making the big play. None was bigger than his rush from the foul line to the corner to make a last-minute block of Kansas guard Michael Lee's three-point attempt, preserving Syracuse's 81-78 victory in the national title game.

Playing the spindly Warrick at power forward is not Boeheim's only unorthodox move. He's also going to start three playmakers--sophomore guards Gerry McNamara and Billy Edelin, and junior small forward Josh Pace (Anthony's replacement in the lineup)--to increase ball movement and allow the Orangemen to run more. "We're unselfish and have a lot of ability," says McNamara. "When you combine the two, you usually have a pretty fun year."

Says Warrick, "No one is looking to replace Carmelo's numbers [by himself], but we want to show that we still have a great team." --John O'Keefe

"These guys are going to have to learn to play and get their shots without Carmelo Anthony, who made everyone better.... Opposing teams know how to attack Syracuse's 2-3 zone, they're just not comfortable playing against it.... Outside of GERRY MCNAMARA, they don't have anyone who's an established outside shooter. McNamara has big-time guts; he reminds me of a young Scott Skiles.... You have to make BILLY EDELIN shoot the ball [from the outside]. He's as good a one-on-one player as I've seen.... I've heard JIM BOEHEIM compare freshman forward TERRENCE ROBERTS with a young Derrick Coleman. He's a rangy, 6'9" lefty who'll play a good deal."

TELLING NUMBER

.909School record for free throw percentage in a season (90 for 99), set by freshman guard Gerry McNamara in 2002-03.